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Get a Bee's-eye View of the Patrón Distillery with This New VR Experience

Using drones & Oculus Rift, Firstborn gives us an insight into the production of the Mexican tequila

Tequila has been enjoyed for generations, but few people have had an opportunity to go inside a distillery to learn and experience how this beloved spirit is made. Patrón – the leader in creating handcrafted, ultra-premium tequila – has developed an immersive virtual reality experience alongside Firstborn that leverages innovative Oculus technology to transport people on an educational and exciting virtual journey to the Hacienda Patrón distillery in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. A 360-degree web experience will also be posted here.

“An innovative spirit is what built Patrón, and to this day, it not only defines our products, but also how we tell our brand story,” said Lee Applbaum, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Patrón Spirits. “While many brands are utilizing virtual reality largely for entertainment, Patrón is leveraging this incredible interactive technology as a unique educational tool, to give an immersive, behind -the-scenes look into the artisanal process of making our handcrafted tequila.”

The “Art of Patrón Virtual Reality Experience” is a one-of-a-kind sensorial immersion, seen from the perspective of a bee, flying on a breathtaking up-close and personal visual journey that begins in the agave fields and continues through the gates of the Hacienda Patrón distillery, showcasing the sights and sounds of Patrón’s actual production, aging and bottling. Along the way, the 360-degree virtual reality experience captures the every day, authentic process and actual members of the Hacienda team – not actors – who proudly create Patrón, and allows participants to witness, firsthand, the care and attention to detail that goes into every bottle.

“Consumers are increasingly eager to learn the stories behind the products and brands they enjoy,” added Applbaum. “It’s relatively easy to write brand education materials or shoot a video, but that doesn’t always capture the full experience. What we’ve created ,using the very latest VR technology, is an authentic, intimate and unprecedented look inside our private Hacienda doors, second only to visiting in person.”

The “Art of Patrón Virtual Reality Experience” is the first by a brand that combines live-action film with cinematic CGI animation. It was filmed on location at the Hacienda Patrón in Jalisco, Mexico, using a specialized drone that was custom-built for the project. This drone was outfitted with seven GoPro cameras and operated by a licensed drone pilot due to the complicated nature of the shoot (e.g. dropping 30 feet into a field of sharp agave; long, continuous shoots; stabilization against the wind). Binaural (3D) audio was also captured throughout the shoot, which collected sound from all directions to ensure an experience that is authentic and natural to human hearing.

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